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“Nothing. It doesn’t make any sense.” She takes the folder from me, and we sit in stumped silence. “The lab is still running some tests, but nothing is adding up. Hopefully it gives us some kind of lead, because the captain is pushing for us to close the case now that we’ve found the body.”

Something fishy is going on with this case. It bothers me more than anything when bad people get away with what they’vedone, and I refuse to let it happen here. Even with my other case I might have to do some more investigating myself.

“Did you tell Genevieve yet?” I ask the question I’m dreading the answer to.

“Not yet and I’m really not looking forward to it.”

Detective Waters loses a little of the spark in her eyes that afternoon.

I slump onto the couch with a pathetic moan. Midnight lets out a disgruntled meow as he jumps off the couch from where he was sitting. I didn’t touch him, but God forbid we sit within five feet of each other.

“That bad, huh?” Zavier asks from the kitchen where he’s working on dinner for us. “What happened since I saw you at lunch?”

My answer is a muffled groan, and I hear his soft footsteps as he pads over to me. I shove my face further into the cushion and grip the blanket underneath me to my chest. A strong hand lightly strokes my head, and a weight pushes down on the cushion by my waist.

“Come on, sweetheart.” He pulls me up from my pitiful state and pulls me into a side hug. His hand directs my head to rest on his shoulder. “Tell Daddy Zav what’s going on.”

Faster than the speed of light I pull back and glare at him. “Never say those words to me again.”

“Sweetheart?” He plays dumb. “Well, okay. I didn’t mind that nickname, but I guess I’ll keep trying. What about, toots?”

“Zavier Lockwood,” I scold and he straightens to attention at the edge in my tone and use of his full name. “You know what I meant. Don’t play dumb.”

Smirking in response, he pulls me fully into his lap where I’m straddling his trim waist. I can feel the ridges of his muscles as I settle myself in. My nose rests in the crook of his neck where his smell is the strongest and I blow out a deep breath, relaxing into him. I don’t know what it says about me that all my inhibitions go away when I’m around this man. Vampire or not he’s a safe space, and I’d be dumb not to admit it. Arms wind around my back and he lets out his own sigh of contentment.

“What’s going on?” He tries again and I finally relent.

“Just typical frustrating detective stuff. That case the other detective took over ... a body was found.”

“I’m so sorry, baby.”

Zav holds me while I ride out the wave of emotions that come with death. I’m no stranger to it in this line of work, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Did I know the woman? No. That didn’t make her life any less important.

“Between not finding any concrete evidence for our serial killer and now this, it feels like I’m running in circles. What kind of detective am I if I can’t solve any cases?” I mutter.

Zavier doesn’t say anything else and simply holds me. We sit in silence with only the sounds of our breathing, the ticking of the clock, and the occasional pop from the oven where dinner cooks.

I become aware of my breasts pressed against his lean chest. My nipples are pebbled and hard under my shirt. His nose skirts along the column of my neck, mouth dangerously close to my artery. I know I should be scared. An apex predator holds me within his grasp and I’m a sitting duck with no chance of getting away, yet I don’t find myself wanting to.

We haven’t talked much about what him being a vampire means for our relationship, but I think I want to soon. He’s still the same Zav I’ve known since the beginning.

My hands, with a mind of their own, wind themselves in his wavy crimson hair. Zav’s breath hitches when I massage his scalp and place a light kiss on his own neck. Knowing I affect him as much as he affects me makes me feel powerful.

The pure masculine strength with which he holds himself is so hot. I need to feel good, taken care of, after this shitty day. I’m not used to coming home to someone who will hold me.

Pulling back, my eyes meet his hidden behind glasses. Heat simmers behind those endless irises and our noses brush in a butterfly kiss.

We simply sit and breathe in each other before making any other movements. His hands feather down my sides and inch underneath my shirt at my hips. Skin against skin, his fingertips burn a red-hot trail as they find their way under my bra. Soft lips press against every inch of my face.

My cheek. My forehead. My chin. My nose.

“Kiss me already,” I growl, all patience leaving me.

“So demanding,” Zav murmurs against my cheek.

He drives me crazier by kissing around the outline of my lips, so close to where I want him and then he stops. Sick of the games I take matters into my own hands and hold his head in place before smashing our mouths together. Our teeth clash and tongues tangle in a burning inferno of tension. We haven’t kissed since our date, and it feels like coming home as weird as it is to say.

“Careful of the fangs,” he whispers, voice slightly lisped talking around his enlarged incisors.